Healthy Health
Chocolate For Your Brain
The brain is a big deal.
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| Chocolate |
It controls all your senses, cognitive responses, memory and learning. All of your organs including the heart and lungs depend upon it. It's a good idea to keep it healthy and functioning.
And no, those brainstorming puzzles are'nt enough to keep your brain in top order.
What you put in your body has a significant impact on the health of your brain. In today's highlights, I will be briefing about the best foods to boost your brain function and memory.
- Is it chocolate?
- How about coffee?
- Can avocados help you?
What?
Green tea helps with learning?
We're talking all this AND more.
Turmeric
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| Brain |
Turmeric has gained a lot of popularity for its numerous health benefits.
This deep yellow spice offers a number of brain benefits.
Turmeric contains a very important ingredient called curcumin.
Research has found that curcumin is able to cross the blood-brain barrier, entering your brain and feeding its cells.
Curcumin is an anti-inflammatory antioxidant compound that has been linked to positive effects on the brain.
Curcumin has been found to help people with Alzheimers disease. It may also improve their memory. It does so by clearing the amyloid plaques, which are a characteristic of Alzheimers disease.
If you've been struggling with depression, drinking turmeric latte may actually help. Curcumin compound in turmeric boosts serotonin and dopamine.
Both these hormones are necessary to improve your overall mood. It was even found that curcumin improved depression symptoms like antidepressants over a period of six weeks.
There are cultures that strongly recommend drinking turmeric milk at night. It sounds like there's actual truth to this.
Your brain has a growth hormone called neurotrophic factor that makes brain cells grow. Curcumin boosts this growth hormone, helping your brain cells thrive.
So the next time you're sauteing mash potatoes, add a pinch of turmeric. May be even add it to your smoothie.
Your brain will thank you later!
Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds aren't just delicious snacks to munch on.
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| Brain |
They also offer amazing health benefits, especially for your brain. Their powerful antioxidants protect your brain and body from the damage caused by free radicals generated through oxidative stress.
They are also rich in zinc, magnesium, iron, and copper.
All of these are essential for the healthy functioning of your brain. Zinc is particularly important for nerve signaling. Its deficiency has been found to cause a lot of neurological and brain-related woes like Parkinsons disease, Alzheimers disease, and depression.
If you thought magnesium was less important, you couldn't be more wrong. You need this mineral for good memory and learning capacity. The deficiency of magnesium has been linked with depression, migraines, and epilepsy.
Eat more pumpkin seeds for more copper, as it's essential for a healthy brain. Copper helps control nerve signals, and its deficiency may cause neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimers.
And the most important part we all struggle with - concentration.
If you've been finding it difficult to concentrate or have brain fogs, eat pumpkin seeds. It has a rich supply of iron that prevents impaired brain function and brain fog.
Add pumpkin seeds to your diet and reap amazing health benefits for your brain.
Are you enjoying this list so far?
Well! this next point will surely surprise you.
But before we continue, why not visit my blog frequently for more highlights like this, and comment what you know best so you're always up to date.
Oily Fish Fatty fish
Also known as oily fish, are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.
Sardines, salmon, and trout are particularly rich sources of omega-3.
Experts say about 60% of our brain is made of fat, half of which is the omega-3 kind.
Omega-3 is used by the brain for optimal functioning.
This includes memory and learning. They might also slow age-related mental decline besides preventing Alzheimers disease. Include oily fish in your diet if you want to keep depression away.
Studies have found that a lack of omega-3 may trigger symptoms of depression. If this evidence isn't enough, maybe the latest research will tell you how important omega-3 is for the human brain.
People, who ate broiled or baked fish regularly, had more gray matter in their brains.
Gray matter plays a crucial role in your intelligence as it contains nerve cells that control memory, decision making, and emotions.
You can get omega-3 from soybeans, flaxseeds, and nuts as well.
Berries
Rich in flavonoid antioxidants, berries are good for your brain as they help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation.
They contain four types of antioxidants-anthocyanin, catechin, caffeic acid, and quercetin. All of these fight off damage caused by free radicals.
Research has found that these compounds improve communication between brain cells, helping them form new connections by increasing plasticity. And not just this, berries may help you delay or reduce age-related neurodegenerative disease.
This is done by boosting the ability of your memory.
So the next time you're making oatmeal, make sure to add blueberries. Pair them with a delicious strawberry smoothie and you have one terrific brain boost.
Kidneys are important vital organs that help your body get rid of toxic waste.
Coffee
Honestly, who can function without a nice warm cup of morning coffee? If you're already a coffee lover, you'll appreciate it more after hearing this.
Simply put, coffee is good for your brain!
It contains antioxidants and caffeine, both of which are assist your cognitive function.
Experts say caffeine in coffee keeps the brain keep alert by blocking adenosine. Adenosine is a chemical messenger that makes us feel sleepy.
Now you get why coffee can awaken you wide and alert.
Caffeine also boosts serotonin, a neurotransmitter responsible for uplifting your mood.
Researchers have found that drinking a large cup of coffee in the morning, or smaller quantities throughout the day help concentration.
Antioxidants in coffee might reduce the risk of neurological disease like Alzheimers and Parkinsons.
Now for all you coffee skeptics who just heard this, is there any reason not to have this drink now?
Nuts and Seeds
Nuts are healthy for your brain, as they are rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids.
Experts have found that eating nuts daily leads to better cognitive functioning in your later years. Another piece of research linked Vitamin E to improved cognitive functioning and lower risk of Alzheimers disease.
Nuts are nutrition and calorie-dense foods, so practice portion control. To get maximum benefits for the brain, eat walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts.
You can also make eating nuts a delicious affair by adding them to your pudding and smoothies.
I'm sure, nobody would mind a bite of delicious hazelnut and macadamia-infused brownies!
Avocado
Avocado isn't just for healthy sandwiches and delicious salads. It is an excellent source of unsaturated fat for your brain. High blood pressure has been linked with cognitive decline. Avocados help reduce blood pressure, aiding the prevention of cognitive decline.
So the next time you are grocery shopping, fill your cart with avocados!
Green Tea
Green tea boosts the healthy functioning of your brain.
Experts have found that green tea improves performance, alertness and memory.
This brain-healthy beverage contains a particular type of amino acid called L-theanine. It can cross the brain-blood barrier and increase the activity of GABA neurotransmitters.
GABA reduces anxiety and helps you feel more relaxed and focused. L-theanine also calms you down by increasing the frequency of alpha waves in the brain.
And not just that, the amino acid saves you from overstimulation caused by caffeine in green tea.
So you get to relax and gain positive health benefits without feeling too stimulated.
A total win-win! Polyphenols and antioxidants in green tea help protect the brain from mental decline, especially with diseases like Alzheimers.
Experts say it may also increase the memory's ability!
Now where's a cup of green tea when you really need it?
Dark Chocolate
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| Chocolate |
First coffee, now chocolate!
I'm sure and hope this isn't teasing you.
Dark chocolate is good for your brain. Really good.
It contains brain-boosting compounds like caffeine, antioxidants, and flavonoids. It has been found that flavonoids in the chocolates gather in areas of the brain responsible for learning.
This gives you an enhanced memory and slows down the mental decline you experience with old age.
Do you eat any of these foods?
Would you consider trying any after seeing this article?
Let us know in the comments below. We would love to hear from you!
Ramzeen
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